CureVac AG has entered into a Collaborative Research Agreement (CRA) with Yale University for discovery research into mRNA-based pulmonary therapeutic candidates. 
 
The exclusive CRA covers the development of an undisclosed number of novel mRNA-based candidates for pulmonary diseases. Under terms of the CRA, the Yale University team will perform discovery research on targets related to pulmonary diseases and present therapeutic candidates to CureVac for preclinical and subsequent clinical development. CureVac will provide all funding for the discovery research and retains the option to acquire any rights regarding the candidates.
 
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to partner with CureVac to work on what we hope will be the next generation of therapeutics for patients with severe respiratory disease,” said John Puziss, PhD, the Director of Business Development in Yale’s Office of Cooperative Research. 
 
Dr. Chupp added, “mRNA therapeutics are at the forefront of drug development and CureVac is a leader in the field.  We are very excited about the opportunity to merge our expertise in genomics of lung disease with CureVac’s expertise in mRNA therapeutic development to develop novel therapeutics for lung disease. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration.”
 
“We are honored to partner with the Yale team, which is performing cutting edge discovery research in the pulmonary field,” said Dan Menichella, CEO of CureVac. “CureVac’s next generation mRNA delivery vehicle, the CureVac Carrier Molecule™ (CVCM™), can reach targets in the lung and other organs and is well suited for repeated administration. We look forward to uncovering potential new therapeutic candidates with Yale University to help provide solutions to those with the greatest medical need.”